Crutch.



c. L. JENSEN & L. AILAHEY.

ORUTOH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. 1909.

974,494. Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHESTER L. JENSEN AND LONNIE A. LAHEY, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

CRUTCH.

To all whom it may concern:

v Be it known that we, CHESTER L. JENSEN and LONNIE A. LAHEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crutches, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to crutches, the object being to provide a crutch which, while having a resilient armpit support or rest, is resiliently yielding to perimt of a proper backward and forward motion of the shoulder of the user, the invention consisting in interposing a spring of peculiar construction between the head and body or staff of the crutch, said spring being so constructed as to yield vertically and to have a motion in the are of a circle backwardly and forwardly with a minimum of sidewise movement.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, and to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved crutch; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper end of the crutch, partly in section; Fig. 3 is an edge view of the crutch; and, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the spring.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

The body of the crutch is composed of the opposed bowed rods 2 held apart at their iniddles by the handle 2, as is usual in crutches, the upper ends of the rods 2 being connected and spaced apart by the cross bar 3.

r 4' designates the head of the crutch, having the usual somewhat crescent-shaped form, the under face of the head being flat. Interposed between the under face of the head and the upper face of the cross bar 3 is a Z-shaped spring comprising the opposed parallel attaching ends 5 which contact respectively with the under face of the head and with the upper face of the cross bar 3 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 2, 1909.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Serial No. 525,902.

and the inclined portion 6 which connects with the opposite ends of the fiat attaching portions 5. It will be seen that this 2- shaped spring will flex at the point 7. The attaching ends or portions 5 are held to the head and cross bar respectively by screws 8 or in any other convenient manner.

It will be seen that a crutch having the head supported thereon in the manner above described, provides not only for an upward and downward movement of the head to permit the crutch to shorten as it reaches a vertical position, but that it also provides for the crutch head taking various angular positions with relation to the axis of the body of the crutch, in accordance with the movements of the shoulder and arm of the user, and that the head and body of the crutch have relative movement with regard to each other, thus decreasing frictional contact between the upper face of the crutch head and the armpit of the user. It will be further seen that one end or the other of the crutch head may be depressed so that the crutch head may take various angles, without affecting the angular position of the body of the crutch, but that the wide, flattened, Z-shaped sprin will prevent to a large extent any latera movement of the crutch head relative to the body of the crutch. This is most important, for the reason that any lateral movement of the crutch head would detract from the certain support of the crutch.

Our invention is simple, cheap, may be easily applied to crutches with a minimum of change therein, and makes a crutch which is very much easier for the user than a crutch having a solid head.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A crutch having a body or stafi, a cross bar at the upper end of the body, a head separated therefrom, and a spring interposed between the body and head, said sprin extending diagonally from one end of the Igrutch head to the opposite edge of the cross 2. A crutch having a body, a cross bar at the upper end of the body, a head, and a Z-shaped spring interposed between the body and cross bar, the parallel ends of said spring being attached to the under side of the head and to the upper side of the cross .1 In testimony whereof We affix our signabar respectively. tures in presence of two Witnesses.

3. A crutch having a body, a cross bar at CHESTER L. JENSEN. [L.s.] its upper end, a head, and a flat spring ex- LONNIE A. LAHEY [L. s.] 5 tending in a plane transverse to the length Vitnesses:

of the crutch and interposed between the CHARLES H. LUDBERG,

head and body. W. G. MAASS. 

